Berlin, Potsdam, Oranienburg & Beyond

By Henrik Bekker

The author, a travel journalist, was born and lives in Germany. This guide focuses on Berlin, Germany’s capital, its largest city, and perhaps its most interesting destination. It has more than 170 museums, three opera houses, an enormous cultural variety

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Apr 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781588439499

Book preview

Berlin, Potsdam, Oranienburg & Beyond

Henrik Bekker

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,

www.hunterpublishing.com

Ulysses Travel Publications

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Windsor Books

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© Hunter Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Introduction

History

History Time Line

Culture

Geography

Climate

Flora & Fauna

Government

The Economy

Top Attractions

Fast Facts

Orientation

Transportation

Embassies & Consulates

Money Matters

Food & Drink

Electricity

Media

Medical

Restrooms

Shopping

Telephones

Mail

Dates & Time

Costs

Sightseeing & Events

Holidays

Festivals & Major Events

Adventures

Special Interest

Information Sources

Language

A Few Useful Words

Berlin

History

Getting Here

Information Sources

Getting Around

Sightseeing

Cultural Events

Shopping

Adventures

Where to Stay

Camping

Where to Eat

Daytrips from Berlin

Potsdam

Oranienburg

Introduction

Germany is a large country of wide contrasts. From the beaches of te North and Baltic Seas to the Bavarian Alpine peaks and from the forest-covered hills of the Black Forest to the nightspots of Berlin, it has much of interest to the international traveler.

For centuries, culture has played an important role in German society. Large cities have opera houses and symphony orchestras while even small villages have musical and other cultural societies. Germany is the land of Bach, Beethoven, Goethe, Schiller, and other artists that influenced Western culture. Culture is easy to enjoy in Germany with frequent performances at relatively low prices.

Germany is also a country with amazing architectural treasures. It has some minor Roman and Carolingian monuments, but it is with the Romanesque and Gothic that German building craft really came to the fore. The influence of the Renaissance was limited but Baroque and Rococo are well represented. More modern styles including Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, Modern, and Post-Modern can also be found especially in German cities. Air raids in World War II ruined most German cities - many rebuilt the damaged buildings while others elected to rebuild in modern style. Half-timbered houses (Fachwerk) make some of the most favored and romantic townscapes and are often seen as typical German and typical medieval.

Fachwerk

The long tradition of dividing inheritances gave Germany literally hundreds of small states and principalities, each with its own palaces and residences. More than 20,000 castles and castle ruins are scattered throughout the country. Often the largest palaces and churches are found in what are now small and insignificant towns.

Germany is more than arts and culture. It is also a paradise for outdoor enthusiast. Hiking is the most popular activity in Germany with thousands of marked trails. Cycling is also popular with many dedicated cycling routes. Canoeing and kayaking are possible on many rivers and lakes. Skiing and other winter sports are possible in the Bavarian Alps and many parts of the Mittelgebirge. Germany also has amazing natural beauty with mountains such as the Bavarian Alps and forested hills such as the Black Forest popular recreational areas.

Berlin, Germany’s capital, is its largest city, and most interesting destination. It has more than 170 museums, three opera houses, an enormous cultural variety, and gripping modern history. An interesting daytrip is to royal residences in nearby Potsdam.

History

Key Events

German history is complex and somewhat confusing. The following will help keep important events in context.

100 BC-AD 400: Romans occupy parts of Germany, mostly west of the Rhine and south of the Danube.

800: Charlemagne is crowned Roman Emperor.

9th to 12th centuries: Romanesque (Romanik) architecture.

962: Otto II is crowned German Roman Emperor. What later became known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation lasted until 1806.

13th to 16th centuries: Gothic (Gotik) architecture. The oldest surviving half-timbered (Fachwerk) houses are from this period, although many of these medieval buildings actually date from the 16th to 18th centuries.

1517: Martin Luther’s 95 Theses initiates the Lutheran Reformation.

1520-1620: Renaissance architecture.

1618-48: Thirty Years’ War devastates and depopulates large areas of Germany. Peace of Westphalia (1648) left Germany with around 350 independent political entities.

17th and 18th centuries: Baroque (Barok) and Rococo (Rokoko) architecture.

1688-97: Palatine War of Succession sees French troops destroy most towns and castles in the Rhineland and Palatinate.

1756-63: Seven Years’ War confirms the rise of Prussia as the fifth European power.

1792-1815: Napoleon redraws the European and German political map. The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation comes to a formal end in 1806. Germany is reduced to about 40 political states.

19th century: Romanticism (Romantik) and Historicist architecture. After 1871, Founding time (Gründerzeit/Wilhelmine) architecture followed by Art Nouveau (Jugendstil).

1870-71: Franco-Prussian war ends with the foundation of the (Second) German Empire dominated by Prussia.

1914-18: First World War ends with Germany defeated and the end of the monarchy.

1919-1933: The ill-fated Weimar Republic fails to cope with economic and political upheaval.

1933-1945: The Nazi era (the Third Reich) ends in the carnage of World War II. Germany is totally defeated, occupied, partitioned, and reduced in size.

1949-1989: Germany divided into a democratic West Germany and a communist East Germany.

1989: A peaceful revolution (Die Wende) ends the East German regime.

1990: Germany re-unites and Berlin resumes as capital.

History Time Line

Early History

500,000 BC: Homo Heidelbergiens showed evidence of human-like life in Germany around 500,000 years ago.

200,000-40,000 BC: Neanderthals lived near Düsseldorf.

10,000 BC: Homo Sapiens arrived in Germany.

800 BC: Celtic tribes moved into southern Germany.

100 BC-AD 400: Romans occupy parts of Germany, mostly west of the Rhine and south of the Danube.

AD 9: Germanic tribes defeated three divisions of the Roman Army.

800: Charlemagne (Karl der Große, 768-814) crowned Roman Emperor by the pope. His empire included most of present day France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Italy.

911: The East Franks elected Konrad I (911-918) as king to firmly set Germany on a separate development course from France.

The Holy Roman Empire

918-1024: Ottonian (Saxon) dynasty.

962: Otto II crowned German Roman Emperor.

1024-1125: Salian (Frankish) dynasty.

1138-1254: Hohenstaufen dynasty. Friedrich I Barbarossa (1152-1190) introduced the title Holy Roman Emperor (of the German Nation was added later).

1356: The Golden Bull specified the electors of the German king as the archbishops of Trier, Mainz, and Cologne, as well as the rulers of Bohemia, Brandenburg, Saxony, and the Palatinate.

1438-1806: Austrian Habsburg dynasty.

1517: Martin Luther questioned the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and